Stream Restoration Project Under Way

Surry County and Resource Institute partnered to restore a section of stream above Carter Falls in the Elkin Recreation Park.

Elkin, NC

A stream restoration project near Carter Falls began in late March with aid received due to damage from two major hurricanes in 2018. Resource Institute, a nonprofit headquartered in Winston-Salem which helps restore America’s streams, rivers, and wetlands, is providing services and assistance to Surry County to help with the restoration project on properties above Carter Falls.

Surry County received $3 million through the NC Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources to address damages related to Hurricanes Michael and Florence in 2018, explained Woody Faulk with Watershed NOW. The project above Carter Falls is the largest project costing between $1 million and $1.5 million. Approximately 5,000 feet of stream bank is affected, on parcels owned by ten different landowners, Faulk said.

Following major storms, the Elkin Recreation Park had been inundated with floodwaters, and Watershed NOW was asked to look at the stream bank which had been severely damaged by the hurricanes. It was immediately suspected that a good bit of the sand left behind throughout the park came from a one-mile stretch of land above Carter Falls, Faulk explained.

“This is the site of a small reservoir constructed in the early 1900s to provide electricity to Elkin. The dam was removed in the 1960s and the instability is the result of the stream working to reestablish a stable dimension, pattern, and profile,” he said. “The reservoir had filled in with sediment over time and when the dam was removed this resulted in an incised channel that did not have access to a flood plain. Thus the storm flows, which should spread out over the floodplain, are confined to the channel. The result is severe and extensive bank erosion, easily producing hundreds of tons of excess sediment every year. The stream has made some headway in reestablishing a floodplain over the last 50+ years, but without intervention, this is a process that will continue for decades before a stable channel is reestablished.”

Faulk said that Resource Institute was contacted and they initiated the process which resulted in Surry County receiving the funds to address the damages. Surry County South District Commissioner Eddie Harris played a significant role in securing this grant, Faulk added. Resource Institute has contracted Ecosystem Planning and Restoration to do the engineering work and North State Environmental to do the construction. The engineering work is complete and the construction is beginning.

The project is expected to take around three to four months, with July as the proposed completion date.

Kitsey Burns Harrison may be reached at 336-258-4035 or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @news_shewrote.

Original Article at https://www.elkintribune.com/news/32120/stream-restoration-project-under-way

Mars Hill Unites to Restore Three Streams

The confluence of California, Paint Fork, and Little Ivy Creek immediately after construction and before riparian planting.  This site is near the Beech Glen Community Center and the Beech Glen Baptist Church, Mars Hill, North Carolina. Drone photo by North State Environmental.

Mars Hill, NC

The Mars Hill Community and several partners recently restored and stabilized sections of California, Paint Fork, and Little Ivy Creek.  The project remediated severely eroding streambanks and will help mitigate downstream flooding by reducing the excess sediment in the stream corridor.  The project will also enhance fishing and other recreational opportunities on Little Ivey Creek. The project is located near the Beech Glen Community Center and the Beech Glen Baptist Church. Stop by the Beech Glen Community Center for an excellent view of the project. 

The confluence of California, Paint Fork, and Little Ivy Creek just before the stream restoration project began. This site is near the Beech Glen Community Center and the Beech Glen Baptist Church, Mars Hill, North Carolina. Drone photo by North State Environmental.

What happened to California, Paint Fork, and Little Ivy Creek Watershed?  One landowner, Clifton Metcalf, realized that severe stream erosion and flooding were hurting all three creeks. He consulted with USDA NRCS, who put him in touch with the nonprofit Resource Institute.  Resource Institute, based in Winston-Salem, restores streams, rivers, and wetlands. 

Resource Institute worked with other experts to assess the problem.  The analysis showed the watershed significantly changed due to the development and construction of two highway projects.  The increase in impervious surfaces caused a significant increase in runoff going into the streams during rain events.  The unstable streams were unable to handle the increased runoff.  The escalation in flow and sediment magnified the eroding the streambanks that were already severely damaged from Hurricanes Frances and Ivan, caused flooding and significant land loss for the landowners.

Resource Institute recommended restoring sections of California Creek, Paint Fork, and Little Ivy Creek. The design and engineering plans used Natural Channel Design Methodology (NCD) to stabilize the streams and halt further erosion. This restoration approach uses sustainable river engineering technologies to improve natural stream stability and habitat. The plan also called for an enhanced riparian buffer with native plants to aid in future erosion prevention and create aquatic and wildlife habitat.

Resource Institute has used NCD Methodology to restore over 1.4 million feet of stream in North Carolina. Project Manager Alan Walker says that this project is unique because the restoration project included two streams (California Creek and Paint Fork) as they flow together to form Little Ivy Creek.  "These streams have been stressed for over 20 years. There have been significant changes in the watershed that increased the frequency and volume of runoff events.  The project realigned both streams to better handle flows at the confluence, especially during storm events.  It was crucial that the engineer evaluate sediment transport and incorporate that data into the design."

The partners recently completed instream construction and planted native trees, shrubs, and riparian vegetation.  These plantings will also stabilize the stream and prevent erosion.  Additionally, the plantings will create and enhance wildlife and aquatic habitat.  The construction team sourced some of the project materials like trees and rocks from the local area.  Landowner Clifton Metcalf enjoyed working with the construction team. "They worked with us to protect our property and resources. They took down some at-risk trees to use in the project, saved a walnut grove, and planted an additional dozen sugar maples along a section of Paint Fork Creek".

This complex project came to fruition through true community spirit.  Local landowners united with Madison County Soil & Water Conservation District, Beech Glen Community Center, and the Greater Ivy Community Association found a solution with mutual benefits. Resource Institute was able to bring in experts like Stantec Consulting for assessment and engineering designs then North State Environmental to construct the project.  Resource Institute helped find funding for the project through USDA NRCS and NC Division of Water Resources.

The local community, not just the landowners, will see significant benefits from the project.  The sediment reduction will improve water quality in all three streams.  With the streambanks stabilized, it is now safe for the public to access the stream for fishing and other recreation opportunities.  Trout fishing on Little Ivy will be enhanced with cleaner water and improved aquatic habitat.  The landowners will see a decrease in property loss, and these projects will enhance the area's natural beauty.  This area is now a true community asset.

By Resource Institute’s Technical Writing Team - Paula Worden, Alan Walker & Squeak Smith.

Wilson Creek Property Donated to Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina

The 322-acre donation, with 2 miles of river frontage in Caldwell County, will expand the National Wild and Scenic Wilson Creek area

Caldwell County, North Carolina

Earth Day 2021: Foothills Conservancy announces a gift of a 322-acre tract within the corridor of the National Wild and Scenic Wilson Creek in Caldwell County. This “puzzle piece” in the Wilson Creek conservation assemblage was donated to Foothills Conservancy by longtime environmental steward and conservation philanthropist Tim Sweeney. The donation fills in a missing segment of protected public lands along the river, bordered on three sides by the Pisgah National Forest System.

Now in the hands of the land trust, with plans to transfer the property to the U.S. Forest Service in the future, it forever ensures this section of forest and highly significant watershed is protected, conserved and accessible for public recreation opportunities.

“Starting back in 2006, Foothills Conservancy and its public and private partners began conserving land and water in the Wilson Creek watershed,” said Andrew Kota, executive director of Foothills Conservancy. “Since that time, we’ve protected over 850 acres and 5 miles of the river for public access and public use. Our efforts here kind of culminate in this most recent project, which was made possible by this generous gift.”

The property includes 2.3 miles of river segment that is designated for recreation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. For many years, this section has been highly popular with river recreationists for its fishing, swimming and whitewater boating sites. The section of Wilson Creek that runs through this property not only supports access to downstream whitewater rafting, canoeing and kayaking with challenging Class II-V rapids, it also boasts beautiful, cascading waterfalls and contains the trailhead for the 6-mile Wilson Creek Trail, which connects to other popular trails in the area.

“This area has been very special to me and has provided me with countless days of fishing for the last 35 years,” said Morganton resident Squeak Smith. An avid fisherman, environmental activist and retired U.S. Air Force veteran, Smith agreed to speak about the significance of the property and its waters prior to the donation announcement, chatting with Foothills Conservancy staff in his waders from the banks of Wilson Creek. 

“When I first moved here from California, I started exploring,” looking for new places to fish, he explained. “So it didn’t take long to look on a map and think, ‘Wow. What’s going on up there?’ I took a drive through the gorge, and it was just phenomenal. The scenery is beautiful, the rock formations, the river — it was unbelievable. I’ve lived all over the world, I’ve fished all over the world, and I moved here specifically for the fishing. It’s a very unique place, and it’s right in my backyard.”

To fishermen, Wilson Creek is a coveted, tranquil place to spend a day catching rainbow, brown and brook trout. To families, residents and visitors of the region, it’s a place for soaking up the sunshine on a picnic — or taking a refreshing dip on a warm summer day.

To conservationists, though, Wilson Creek is known for more than just its popularity among outdoor enthusiasts. This land is also environmentally significant for its natural and cultural resource value.

“Essentially, all the water that comes down from Grandfather Mountain funnels through Wilson Creek,” said Nicholas Larson, district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service’s Grandfather Ranger District. “And the water quality along Wilson Creek is incredibly valuable, not only for the phenomenal trout fisheries and the recreational value that clean water provides — but also for the biota here, the rare species occurring just in this section of river.” 

The tract along the river contains habitat for the brook floater, an at-risk, endangered species of freshwater river mussel. It is also home to the significantly rare Edmund’s snaketail dragonfly and the seagreen darter freshwater fish. Sightings of several vulnerable and significantly rare animal and plant species have also been recorded within a one-mile radius of the property as well. 

“The lands that we currently administer here for the national forest are a two-mile section just below where we’re standing right now,” Larson explained, standing just above the riverbank on the newly acquired property. “That area, though, is a gorge — it’s really quite limited, access-wise. This property will allow us to facilitate people coming into the woods, providing easy access to the water without the danger of rapids, and just quite frankly the ability to park vehicles so that folks can get out into the forest and into the river.”

Additionally, the improved access to both the national forest and river will allow emergency management services to conduct quicker, more direct rescue efforts in the area, especially in times of heavy recreational use when other access points may become overcrowded with visitors. 

“This past year, the COVID-19 pandemic played a huge role in both heightening and highlighting the need for more public lands and outdoor recreation opportunities in North Carolina — and this Wilson Creek property is one of those very natural treasures, as one of only five designated Wild and Scenic Rivers in the entire state,” Kota said. “It’s critically important for groups like Foothills Conservancy and our federal, state and private partners to protect as much land and water in this watershed as possible. Not only for the aquatic and terrestrial habitat protections, but for public use — offering people opportunities to improve their mental and physical well-being and health and to improve our quality of life in general.”

Original Article at https://www.foothillsconservancy.org/news2/wilson-creek-property-donated-to-foothills-conservancy-of-north-carolina

Rural Towns Do Needed Restoration Work, Despite Pandemic

The City of Mount Airy’s stream restoration project and the Granite City Greenway.

MOUNT AIRY, N.C. -- Small towns across the state are focusing efforts on environmental restoration and creating equitable access to green spaces despite this year's challenges from the pandemic.

The city of Mount Airy teamed up with Resource Institute and Pilot View Resource Conservation and Development to restore more than 12 miles of the Ararat River, which runs through the city, as well as expand outdoor recreation areas for residents.

Mount Airy's Director of Parks and Recreation Darren Lewis said the Granite City Greenway is a walking and biking trail that connects three schools and is walking distance from several Housing Authority developments.

"The Granite City Greenway is 6.6. miles in length. To date, we have Mount Airy High School, Mount Airy Middle School, and Tharrington Primary School that are connected to the greenway," Lewis said. "The children are fortunate; they can walk right outside of their school classroom and get on the greenway."

Lewis said in the future, the city aims to complete the northern loop of the Greenway that will connect additional schools and link nearby Pilot Mountain, with the goal of creating a regional tourist destination.

Darin Young, chair of Pilot View Resource Conservation and Development, said the Ararat River's badly eroded stream banks were compromising wildlife habitat. By restoring the waterway and working with conservation groups, he said the river now ranks among the best in the state for trout fishing.

"We partnered with Trout Unlimited to really turn the stream back into an active fishery for trout," Young said. "It increases tourism for the county as well, bringing fishermen in from all over just to fish on the Ararat River, where prior to this, no one was able to."

Lewis added the stream restoration improvements also will protect drinking-water quality for residents, noting the city's sewer lines run along the Ararat River and streambank erosion put them at risk.

"Some of the restoration was tremendously needed to make sure the sewer lines were not affected," Lewis said.

Funding for the Ararat River restoration project and greenway development comes from the City of Mount Airy, North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund, Division of Water Resources, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation as well as private landowners.

Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service - NC

Original Article at https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-12-29/environment/rural-towns-do-needed-restoration-work-despite-pandemic/a72627-1

After Hurricanes, NC College Focuses on Natural-Resource Restoration

Resource Institue, McAdams, Jennings Environmental, LLC, and North State Environmental recently restored an unnamed stream on the campus of Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- In recent years, hurricanes and other powerful storms have taken their toll on many of North Carolina's college campuses. One college in Fayetteville has decided to undertake major stream-restoration work on its campus and says the project sets an example of environmental stewardship for students.

Vice President for Planning and Administration at Methodist University Shelia Carr Kinsey said an unnamed stream on the property that feeds into the Cape Fear River was severely eroded.

"And with all of the hurricanes and big weather events we've been having, it was getting worse and was encroaching some on some parking-lot areas that we have. It was endangering a pedestrian bridge," Kinsey said. "So that's what prompted us to begin to look at it."

The more than 3,000 feet of stream-restoration work was done by environmental firms McAdams, Resource Institute and Jennings LLC (technical advisor). The project is expected to be complete by February and was funded by Methodist University and the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

Alan Walker, project manager at Resource Institute, said with climate change expected to trigger more extreme weather events, colleges can play a role in preventing environmental damage.

"Being able to demonstrate this to the students, being proactive in taking a look at protecting the environment, making some enhancements to address resource concerns on campus, I think is a very positive thing that a university can take on to demonstrate," Walker said.

He said even small headwater streams can contain excess sediment and experience severe erosion, which can cause problems downstream.

"It has negative impacts downstream for fish habitat, flooding, it raises the water levels, you get shallow water in some areas because you have excess deposition," he said.

Walker said using restoration technologies to control flow from stormwater before it moves downstream can benefit everyone within a watershed.

Disclosure: Resource Institute contributes to our fund for reporting on Endangered Species & Wildlife, Environment, Public Lands/Wilderness, Water. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.

Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service - NC

Original Article at https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-12-08/environment/after-hurricanes-nc-college-focuses-on-natural-resource-restoration/a72359-1

Methodist University Reconnects Students and Streams

The stream restoration project at Methodist University just after construction. The next is to plant a riparian buffer to encourage aquatic and wildlife habitat. The plantings will also provide shade and possibly pollinator habitat. The plantings will be complete in early 2021.

Fayetteville, NC

Nestled in the northern part of Fayetteville, NC sits Methodist University (MU), a private university serving almost 2,400 students (undergraduate and postgraduate).  It rests on 614 gorgeous acres, next to the Cape Fear River, and includes a golf course that is the focal point of its PGA Golf Management program.

The footbridge connecting the campus to the University PGA Golf Management program was demolished by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence's high water events. The project team rebuilt the footbridge as part of the restoration project.

An unnamed creek runs through campus, drains 227 acres of the urban campus, and transports much of the campus stormwater and other runoff into the Cape Fear River.  The stream suffered from severely eroding stream banks for at least six years and took significant hits during Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. These storms also washed away a footbridge that served students, staff, and faculty. In addition to the damage, the creek was eating into a parking lot and other infrastructure. The University had safety concerns about the crumbling streambanks and the potential for falling trees.

The project team from Jennings Environmental, McAdams, Methodist University, North State Environmental, and Resource Institute review the project from the rebuilt footbridge that connects the campus to the University's PGA Golf Management program facility.

Charles Anderson, Resource Institute, explained the damage. “Severe erosion and damage done over the years due to hurricanes and stormwater runoff caused a severe entrenchment of the stream going through the center of their campus.  The soil type and volume of rainfall were major factors causing damage to the stream over time.”  

MU knew they had to fix the stream and called in McAdams, an engineering firm with offices in Raleigh, with an initial plan to ensure that the stream could transport University runoff and no longer pose a danger to students and University personnel.  McAdams introduced the team at MU to Resource Institute and Jennings Environmental, LLC (technical advisor), leaders in Natural Stream Design Restoration in North Carolina.  The three entities formed a powerhouse team to stop the erosion and add a host of benefits to the project along with The North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund, which supplied a grant for the project to supplement MU’s matching funds.

The team produced a plan that would stabilize the stream and halt further erosion using Natural Channel Stream Design. This restoration approach uses sustainable river engineering technologies to improve natural stream stability and habitat functions. The plan also called for an enhanced riparian buffer with native plants to aid in erosion prevention and create aquatic and wildlife habitat.

North State Environmental constructed the project over the summer. Sheila Carr Kinsey, Chief of Staff, Vice President for Planning & Administration, Methodist University, says the project is so much more than she envisioned.  “I had no idea it would be this beautiful! It’s quite remarkable.  There are little waterfalls plus North State Environmental incorporated some of the at-risk trees as instream structures.”

Sheila said that for MU, the process and project implementation were astounding. “The project team worked so well together. Each entity brought something unique to the table and worked smoothly to implement the project.”

The project will be complete in late February 2021.  The team will plant native trees, grasses, and shrubs to establish the riparian buffer, and in all, 3,205 linear feet of stream will be restored.  The footbridge has been replaced, reconnecting campus to MU’s golf course and PGA Golf Management program facilities.  Students can once again walk to this area instead of driving to the other side of campus.  The restoration project will help reduce sediment loads, stabilize the banks, and bring the stream back to life, not only from a natural resource perspective but also as an enhancement to the aesthetics of the MU campus.Jennings Environmental, LLC

Stream Restoration Gives New Life to Pilot Mountain State Park

Resource Institute partnered with Pilot Mountain State Park, the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and Ecosystem Planning & Restoration to stabilize severely eroding streambanks along Grassy Creek in the state park. 

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- One of the most frequently visited parks in North Carolina has improved a prized natural resource.

Grassy Creek, which flows through Pilot Mountain State Park, was severely eroded.

Ken White, vice-chair of Resource Institute, a Winston-Salem based nonprofit that restores streams, rivers, and wetlands, said they used sustainable river engineering technologies to improve natural stream stability.

He argued keeping streams healthy can help the park and local economy grow by attracting new visitors and keep dedicated patrons coming back.

"To go out and spend a day on the Blue Ridge Parkway and see the throngs of people that are out enjoying the trailheads," White urged. "It really makes you appreciate the fact that what we can do creates that opportunity for all of North Carolinians, or even visitors from other states, to come in here and get out and enjoy the great outdoors."

White added conservation work is especially important in places like Pilot Mountain, which rises 2,000 feet from the North Carolina Piedmont and historically functioned as a navigational landmark. Pilot Mountain State Park conserves almost 4,000 surrounding acres.

Grassy Creek empties into the Yadkin River, the second-largest river basin in the state.

White remarked keeping excess sediment out of the stream means cleaner water for the more than 1.5 million people who rely on the Yadkin for drinking water.

"What we're doing is helping every city, every municipality, every town that's got their straw in the Yadkin River basin," White contended. "They don't have to add additional chemicals to treat the water; their water intakes remain very viable and usable."

Jake Byers, senior water resources engineer for Ecosystem Planning and Restoration, said it's up to government officials and state leaders to support conservation funding for these types of improvements, especially as local budgets feel the strain of the coronavirus recession.

"This project was funded primarily through the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund," Byers explained. "It's an important source of funding for nonprofits, municipalities, different institutes, to get restoration work done in the state of North Carolina. And we should all be thankful that it exists."

He pointed out conservation work can save local governments money in the long run.

Stream restoration not only keeps sediment and debris out of local waterways that supply drinking water but can also prevent storm runoffs and damage from flooding.

Disclosure: Resource Institute contributes to our fund for reporting on Endangered Species & Wildlife, Environment, Public Lands/Wilderness, and Water. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.

Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service - NC

Original Article at https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-11-12/environment/stream-restoration-gives-new-life-to-pilot-mountain-state-park/a72075-1

Public-Private Partnership Restores Grassy Creek

North State Environmental starts instream construction on Grassy Creek in early June 2020.

Pinnacle, NC

Pilot Mountain rises 2,000 feet unexpectedly from the North Carolina Piedmont.  Historically, Pilot Mountain functioned as a navigational landmark.  Pilot Mountain State Park protects this astounding landmark and conserves almost 4,000 surrounding acres.  Grassy Creek flows through Pilot Mountain State Park and empties into the Yadkin River.  Grassy Creek experienced severely eroding, down cut streambanks.  At several points, the streambanks were as much as 10 feet tall and volatile.  Although the water quality was good, Grassy Creek transported too much sediment due to significant erosion.

Grassy Creek instream structure designed by Environmental & Planning Restoration. The structure was completed in late July 2020.

Matt Windsor, Superintendent, Pilot Mountain State Park, reached out to Resource Institute for a solution.  Resource Institute, a Winston-Salem based nonprofit, restores streams, rivers, and wetlands by working in partnership with local landowners and communities.  Matt worked with Resource Institute in 2014 to restore Horn Creek, another stream in the Park with similar issues.  This public-private partnership effectively conserved and restored a natural resource in the Park.  Matt turned to Resource Institute for another alliance to restore and stabilize Grassy Creek.  Resource Institute worked with the Park to leverage funding for the project from the NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

Grassy Creek just after the completion of instream construction in late August 2020. Riparian Buffer plantings will be introduced late fall 2020.

Resource Institute brought in Jake Byers, PE, Ecosystem Planning & Restoration (EPR), to assess the stream.  The RI & EPR team found that Grassy Creek had eroded down to bedrock, with steep, incised streambanks.  The stream was also cutting into the floodplain and moving towards a wastewater treatment plant, potentially putting the plant at risk. Jake developed design and engineering plans using the Natural Channel Restoration approach.  Natural Channel Restoration uses sustainable river engineering technologies to improve natural stream stability and habitat functions.

The plan called for the installation of instream features to restore the natural riffle, pool sequence, stabilize streambanks, and reduce the amount of sediment transported by the stream. This plan called for natural wood and toe wood structures, created bankfull benches, realigned the stream, and connected it to the floodplain.  The Park also removed the wastewater treatment facility as part of the overall project plan.

North State Environmental constructed the restoration project. Instream construction is complete, and riparian buffer planting is scheduled for fall.  Matt Windsor, Pilot Mountain State Park, noted that construction moved quickly.  “It looks a lot different. The project improved water quality and stabilized the stream.  It’s a wonderful use of conservation dollars.  Plus, you know that this area will always be protected because the land doesn’t change hands.”

In addition to improving Grassy Creek, this project also improves conditions in the Yadkin River, which supplies drinking water for 1.5 million people.  Visitors to the Park can see the project from the Grassy Creek Trail, a 1.7-mile trail on the eastern side of Pilot Mountain connected to the Visitors Center.

Charles Anderson, Resource Institute says “RI is thrilled to work with Matt Windsor and Pilot Mountain State Park again. We are proud to support the Park and help conserve its natural resources.  Projects like these help the Park and the local economy grow by attracting new visitors and keep dedicated patrons coming back.”

Rural Water Infrastructure at Risk as More Budget Cuts Loom

In 2019, the city of Brevard received $1 million from the state of North Carolina to undertake a stream-restoration project aimed at preventing the city's water treatment plant from being damaged by high levels of sediment.

BREVARD, N.C. -- Water systems across North Carolina are in need of repair, yet local government budgets are shrinking amid the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Advocates say federal funding is critical to ensuring rural communities have access to clean water. The last major infrastructure package passed by lawmakers expired on Sep. 30, and experts say rural communities who have already been hard hit by the coronavirus recession need more investment.

Charles Anderson, project developer for Resource Institute said local governments in rural areas have fewer tax dollars to rely on for upgrades. He noted money available for waterway restoration and infrastructure work often is in the form of loans.

"A lot of it has been loan money," Anderson explained. "And that means that if a city or town wants to improve their water resources, they have to go out here and get a loan to do that, and a lot of these communities just don't have the resources to borrow that money."

Anderson believes boosting the number of grants available to rural governments could help.

"We're finding that a lot of cities and towns and counties are using the older systems, systems that have aged out, that need to be replaced," Anderson added.

One Pew study found the nation's water systems are on the cusp of needing $100 billion worth of repairs and maintenance.

Last year, Anderson and a team of engineers undertook a stream-restoration project aimed at preventing the city of Brevard's water treatment plant from being damaged by high levels of sediment.

He said sediment is one of the biggest problems water treatment facilities have. When the cost to treat water goes up, so do household water bills, especially when communities are forced to rely on outdated infrastructure.

"What we did there was actually not only restore the stream itself around and upstream from the intake," Anderson recounted. "But created a whole new intake system for them, thereby improving the volume of water and the quality of water they received."

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would provide $281 million to improve rural communities' water and wastewater infrastructure in North Carolina and 35 other states.

Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service - NC

Original Article at https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-10-08/water/rural-water-infrastructure-at-risk-as-more-budget-cuts-loom/a71691-1

Restoration Radically Transforms Reedy Patch Creek

An aerial view of the Reedy Patch Creek stream restoration project prior to construction, November, 2019

Edneyville, NC

Resource Institute recently completed construction of a stream restoration project in Edneyville, NC, partnering with landowner Mark Hill, Ph.D., and other members of Far Afield, LLC, to restore a section of Reedy Patch Creek, a tributary of the Broad River.

Prior to construction Reedy Patch Creek’s streambanks showed critical erosion due to limited stabilizing vegetation

Reedy Patch Creek flows through the Far Afield, LLC property, a former cattle farm, now transitioning to a tree farm. The property experienced several severe floods, including a 2018 event that washed away several bridges nearby. The streambanks suffered critical erosion due to limited stabilizing vegetation. As a result, the creek widened excessively and was not adequately transporting sediment, causing significant downstream silt deposits.

Reedy Patch Creek instream structures looking upstream, July 2020

Dr. Hill and other members of the Hill Family had been searching for a solution to Reedy Patch’s issues after they purchased the property in early 2017.  NRCS District Conservationist Emily Nelson recommended a “natural channel design” approach to improve stream stability and habitat functions. She suggested that they apply for assistance from Resource Institute, a Winston-Salem based nonprofit, working predominantly in North Carolina to restore streams, rivers, and wetlands. Far Afield was able to qualify for federal and state funding through Resource Institute’s Western Initiative Stream Restoration program.

An aerial view of the Reedy Patch Creek stream restoration post instream construction, July 2020

Resource Institute, as the project manager, assembled a team of stream restoration specialists; Jennings Environmental, LLC completed the assessment, design, and engineering plans, North State Environmental constructed the project, and Henderson Soil & Water District provided additional support.  The project was funded through grants from USDA NRCS and the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

Dr. Hill was especially impressed with North State Environmental during the project construction phase.  North State was mindful of the existing Far Afield forestry plan and worked with Dr. Hill to cut at-risk trees for incorporation into the stream restoration project as bank and instream structures to create fish habitat.

Dr. Hill says, “This was a gratifying partnership, and Reedy Patch Creek has undergone an amazing transformation. The construction phase of the project just finished, and we already see minnows. The willows that were transplanted are sending out branches, and the goldfinches are back.”

The project is nearly complete. Instream construction wrapped up the week of July 12, and riparian buffer planting is scheduled to begin this Fall.  The project team will continue to work with Dr. Hill and Far Afield to plant native species to enhance stream habitat and augment their forestry plan and existing pawpaw plantings.  In particular, the team will plant additional trees along the stream to create a shade canopy to reduce water temperature and improve aquatic habitat.

Alan Walker, Resource Institute’s project manager, has high expectations for Reedy Patch Creek. “It’s incredible to work with such a willing landowner like Dr. Hill.  Areas upstream of this project are also in distress, suffering the same severely eroding streambanks and lack of habitat. Many of the upstream landowners took a keen interest in this project, indicating there is potential for more of Reedy Patch Creek to be restored and stabilized.”